Karen Whitefield

I recently spoke at an ambassador’s event for Lessons from Auschwitz, an educational project developed and run by the Holocaust Educational Trust. The  event gave student ambassadors who had participated in the project and visited Auschwitz-Birkenau the chance to talk about their experiences, and discuss the work they had undertaken as a result. The young [...]

I attended the opening of One Wellwynd Social Enterprise Centre in Airdrie, an excellent new facility which will have huge benefits for the local community. The original church, derelict since 2005, has been extended and transformed into a comfortable and efficient working space for charitable, housing, and support services, helping to improve communications between different [...]

I recently spoke at an event organised by housing charity Shelter Scotland to highlight the plight of homeless children in Scotland. The event foregrounded Shelter’s Keys for the Future project, which aims to support homeless children with their learning. During the first Scottish Parliament we passed innovative and progressive legislation on homelessness, which we all [...]

I recently visited the Lees Scotland factory in Coatbridge along with my fellow MSP Elaine Smith. Established in Coatbridge in 1931 by John J. Lees, Lees Scotland is the producer of well known cakes and desserts such as Snowballs and Macaroons. Eighty years after its formation, and with sales as far afield as the United States and Kuwait, it [...]

I was delighted to welcome teachers from Chapelside Primary School to the Scottish Parliament. I always enjoy it when people from the constituency make the trip to Holyrood, and I was pleased that I was able to provide the teachers with an idea of what a school trip to the Parliament would involve. It is [...]

With a spate of recent attacks, knife crime has once again moved to the top of the agenda.   I know from talking to my own constituents how worried they are about knife crime. In the last 4 months there have been two fatal attacks in Airdrie alone.   Scottish Labour is proposing strong legislative [...]

I enjoyed a recent visit to the Windmills Cafe in Motherwell. Opened in April 2010, the Windmill Café provides training and real work experience to young adults with learning difficulties. The café employs young people aged between 16 and 25 on a three year accredited training programme, allowing them to learn about hygiene, food preparation and customer [...]

I recently visited HMP Shotts for the launch of a new restorative justice programme, ‘Breaking the Cycle’.  The pogramme is a direct product of the NAe Bother campaign, the highly successful local initiative that has worked to bridge the gap between police and local communities. The programme is built upon the suggestion of a current HMP [...]

It’s well known that breafast is our most important meal, the one that sets us up for the day ahead. I recently visited the breakfast club at Plain’s Primary School in Airdrie to witness the official unveiling of an award-winning addition to the breakfast menu, after a pupil from the school won a competition to devise a [...]

I am extremely disappointed that a small minority are persistently vandalising Petersburn park in Airdrie. The park was developed from money raised by the Petersburn Development Trust, a voluntary organisation made up of local residents. We have devoted much time and effort towards transforming an area of derelict wasteland into a public amenity to be enjoyed [...]